Geoplanidae is a family of flatworms known commonly as land planarians or land flatworms.
These flatworms are mainly predators of other invertebrates, which they hunt, attack and capture using physical force and the adhesive and digestive properties of their mucus.[3] They lack water-retaining mechanisms and are therefore very sensitive to humidity variations of their environment. wikipedia
Beautiful. I don't know them. Haven't seen them yet. Thanks for sharing.
This deserved a "Double Wowzer". I've yet to see one of these so thanks ever so much for sharing yours.
Somewhere in my files I have a photo of one of these but I can't recall where it was taken. I am thinking some part of Colorado. Do they live there? Lovely photos of the one you have.
Dennis
Nicely done. Most people have never heard of them.
Great shots. I have seen them called parasites but after reading up on them they seem to be active predators. Some species seem to feed exclusively on earth worms.
mrova
Loc: Chesterfield, VA
They can be very destructive, and very interesting to read about. Found this little tidbit a while ago:
"If you have a flat worm infestation, there are several ways to control or kill populations. The first thing to keep in mind is, if you attempt to chop a flat worm in half or even smash them, the pieces will only regenerate into new flat worms. So, if you chop a flat worm into 7 pieces, you will end up with 7 new worms! You must dissolve the flat worm completely in order to get rid of it. Treatment methods include: salt, vinegar, and citrus oil. These products must be applied directly to the flat worms in order to be effective."
mrova wrote:
They can be very destructive, and very interesting to read about. Found this little tidbit a while ago:
"If you have a flat worm infestation, there are several ways to control or kill populations. The first thing to keep in mind is, if you attempt to chop a flat worm in half or even smash them, the pieces will only regenerate into new flat worms. So, if you chop a flat worm into 7 pieces, you will end up with 7 new worms! You must dissolve the flat worm completely in order to get rid of it. Treatment methods include: salt, vinegar, and citrus oil. These products must be applied directly to the flat worms in order to be effective."
They can be very destructive, and very interesting... (
show quote)
Nice photo, but as noted above -- this is a bad-news invasive specie.
Oh, they are horrible. Can we go back to Springtails please?
😃 I used to see these when living in San Diego a century ago. I was completely flabbergasted about what they could be. They are invasive, I think from SE. Asia, coming over here in potting soil.
I think that they have numerous tiny eyes along the front margin of their head. Brenda wants to see them...
Mark Sturtevant wrote:
numerous tiny eyes along the front margin of their head. Brenda wants to see them...
i will have to cut the head off to get that shot.i hate to do it but i will for Brenda
mrova
Loc: Chesterfield, VA
tinusbum wrote:
i will have to cut the head off to get that shot.i hate to do it but i will for Brenda
Don't fret over cutting the head off. You will have created two.
EnglishBrenda wrote:
Can we go back to Springtails please?
ok,i'll go springtail hunting tomorrow
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